In the late 90’s, Shigetaka Kurita invented the emoji in response to an early mobile website that had been launched. The site was similar to ones that we are used to today. It combined things like weather, news, and entertainment on a single platform. A critical difference, however, is that instead of using symbols to explain things like the weather (sun for sunny or cloud for cloudy), it would say things like “fine” or “bad.” This was terribly confusing for Kurita as “fine” could mean a whole…

When it comes to rights and privileges it is less about them being given to someone than it is about what they do with them. Allowing sex offenders the right to social media isn’t the problem, it’s what they could potentially do with it. However, telling someone that they are barred from having a social life in what is probably the only place they are still accepted is, for lack of a better word, harsh. Criminals deserve to be treated like criminals when they’re in jail,…

One of the purposes of a social network is to quite literally network through virtual means. A LinkedIn account is like a remote business exchange of business cards but is a connection documented with more permanence. Modern society is so rooted in social media networking that companies will even scour potential employer’s social media accounts to get a better idea of their character and fit with the company. Some job applications even provide the option of replacing standard application inserts by linking…